All posts tagged: Lobbying

In Carbon Democracy, Timothy Mitchell describes how people’s ability to sabotage the economic system strengthened democracy. Craig Morris wonders what the future holds – and if the year 2050 might be cleaner, but also less democratic.

Energy distributors will play a crucial role in transforming Europe’s energy system. But as a self-interested industry group, empowering them to write and monitor the rules for it is a ludicrous way forward, warns Josh Roberts.

German renewable energy lobby organization AEE has published another meta-study, this time reviewing the wide range of scientific investigations into power storage. As Craig Morris explains, the main finding is in line with other recent publications – storing excess renewable electricity from the summer for the winter will not be necessary for a while.

A new meta-study published by German renewables organization AEE reviews around a dozen recent studies on power generation costs from both renewable and conventional energy sources. The trend is clear, and one of the studies is a clear outlier. Craig Morris explains.

In his previous post, Craig Morris talks about how the renewable surcharge will drop for the first time in 2015. But there is another interesting aspect to the issue. Germany allows transmission grid operators (TSOs), rather than a government entity, to calculate the charge. For the EU, that distinction is the difference between legal and illegal.

When the Fukushima accident happened, both Japan and Germany were highly dependent on nuclear power. Whereas Germany has sped up its Energiewende ever since, Japanese politics have remained captured by the interest of utilities. Amory Lovins compares the political effects of the nuclear accident on both countries and debunks some myths around the outcomes of Germany’s energy transition along the way.

In a few weeks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel could officially begin her next term in office now that the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats have reached a coalition agreement. Craig Morris takes a look at the reactions to the new proposals, which Matthias Lang recently summed up here.

The European Union (EU) has long proclaimed itself a leader of global climate ambition and a champion of the low carbon economy. The controversial debate on the EU’s climate and energy policies beyond 2020 will have far-reaching impacts on the global climate trajectory. Due to the influence of powerful interest groups, Europe might roll back its commitment to combating climate change, warns Silvia Brugger.